There is a rising demand for cosmetic preparations which have several properties simultaneously and thus exhibit an improved performance spectrum. Of particular interest are cosmetic preparations which have care properties and revitalizing properties and which protect against aging phenomena of the human skin or of human hair.
The active ingredients used in cosmetic preparations should contribute to (at least they should not deteriorate) important properties of the cosmetic preparations like storage stability, photostability and ability to be formulated easily. Good skin compatibility and the use of natural products is frequently requested by customers. Several plant extracts can serve this purpose. It is desirable, of course, to obtain significantly improved cosmetic preparations by combining active ingredients which are already known in the state of the art. Yet it can be a disadvantage to use a combination of active ingredients from extracts of different plants, because this increases the complexity of the product. Thus the production of the preparation can be more difficult and more expensive.
Extracts from plants and their ingredients are being used more and more frequently for cosmetic and for pharmaceutical purposes. In many cases the known effects of certain plant extracts are very specific and the field of use for these extracts is very limited.
The composition of many plant extracts is known. In these cases several individual chemicals have been identified in the plant extract. The properties of these chemicals are known in many cases. Nevertheless it is impossible to predict the properties of a plant extract from the information that certain chemical compounds with certain properties are contained in the extract. It remains the problem that a plant extract additionally contains unknown components in unknown quantities. These other components may in some cases overcompensate the effect that the known chemicals have. E.g. the information that a certain plant contains an antibiotic does not mean that its extract is useful for pharmaceutical purposes. It might well be the case that toxic substances in the extract render the extract itself completely useless for pharmaceutical applications. Whether a certain plant extract is useful for a certain purpose can only be decided after testing the extract itself with respect to the intended use.
It is known that specific parts of the plant Argania spinosa or the extracts thereof can be used for cosmetic purposes.
Argania spinosa means the plant that in detail is called Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels. “L.” and “Skeels” denote the nomenclature system used.
Argania spinosa (belonging to the family of the Sapotaceae) is an endemic tree of Morocco. It grows on the west side of the Atlas mountains. The fruits of Argania spinosa have three parts: a pulp, a shell and oleaginous seeds. These three parts represent approximately 44%, 46% and 10% of the dry weight of the fruit. The pulp of the fruit of Argania spinosa can be used in dry or fresh form to feed cattle.
WO 01/82885 discloses a cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical preparation that contains saponins from an extract of the plant Argania spinosa. 
WO 02/45729 discloses preparations containing native proteins from the plant Argania spinosa and the use of these proteins as skin care products and hair care products. These proteins can be obtained from the extract of the seeds of Argania spinosa. 
WO02/45728 discloses a cosmetic and/or dermopharmaceutical preparation containing native proteins from the plant Argania spinosa as care agent for skin and hair.
European Patent Application, application number 02293130.7 (filed Dec. 18, 2002) discloses the use of extracts of Argania spinosa for various pharmaceutical purposes. Extracts containing saponins are used. Preferably the extract of the seeds is used.
There remains a need for extracts of plants for pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications.